JANUARY 7, 1943

NEW YORK, Wednesday—When I stepped off the train in Syracuse, New York, yesterday morning,
I went directly to the Onondaga Hotel, which is associated in my mind with so many
state conventions and meetings of various kinds, that I always feel I am in familiar
surroundings. A friend of mine came to breakfast with me, and at 10:00 o'clock, Dean
Eunice Hilton, and Mrs. Tolley, the wife of the new Chancellor of Syracuse University
called for me.

I devoted the morning to the distaff side of the University. There are some two thousand
girl students, so my first talk was to them. From 11:00 to 12:00, I talked to a class
made up in part of undergraduates and in part of graduate students. My topic was on
the responsibility of women in the postwar period.

After a brief conference with the press, I attended a luncheon of the faculty women
and wives of men on the faculty. During the luncheon, word came that all the trains
were delayed and we began the usual fruitless efforts to discover whether some train
would come through early enough to reach New York City before my evening engagement.

I had a group of people meeting at my apartment here for some discussion, and then
to hear Mr. Earl Robinson play his new Lincoln composition, which impressed me so
much when he came to Washington to play it for us. Needless to say, the train was
very late coming into Syracuse, and was later as we progressed into Albany, and finally down the Hudson River.

I was glad I had arranged for a second hostess to welcome my guests, though I did
some worrying as to what was happening. I really enjoyed the trip down and had a pleasant
talk with a young naval officer while I ate my evening meal. He was returning to duty
and had said goodbye to his wife and small child before shipping out. He was wondering whether these last few days didn't make it harder
to face the final parting. I sometimes wonder myself, and yet I think that in retrospect
a man will go over and over each detail of the visit and it may help him through some
lonely hours later on.

I reached my apartment in time to hear Mr. Robinson sing and play, and I found that
the impression made by the Lincoln composition was even greater on second hearing.

I am off in a few minutes to do a recording and a variety of errands and to attend
several meetings during the day.